


Hallowed Divination

by Twistedwriter



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-18
Updated: 2015-10-18
Packaged: 2018-04-26 23:59:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5025730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twistedwriter/pseuds/Twistedwriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Some exercises in Divination have a more... romantic... bent than others.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hallowed Divination

**Author's Note:**

  * For [the_Lady_Dionysus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_Lady_Dionysus/gifts).



> Brief mention of cannon torture, not arising to graphic description.

Hallowed Divination

by Twistedwriter

This is a fanwork, not intended to infringe on any held rights and for entertainment purposes only. No profit has been made of this work.

  
Third Year

  
Professor Trelawney’s classroom was never particularly well lit and the air was never particularly clear. However, the room appeared to be extra shadowy and gloomy today in anticipation of Halloween. It had been like wading through a soup of incense to find their seats and even now Draco found it hard to see Pansy who was seated at his right side, or Goyle who was seated at his left. However, he was pretty sure that he knew where Crabbe was as a very loud snoring sound was coming from somewhere beyond the vague lump that was Goyle.

  
Professor Trelawney’s voice had been drifting through the fog of the classroom, providing the vaguest of directions for the Pyromancy exercise they were performing today. Draco had not seen anything particularly in his flame other than a great deal of smoke, which was adding to the general smokiness of the room. That had not prevented him from inventing something suitably dour but vague when it had been his turn. The class was finally rolling to an end and Draco was very much looking forward to leaving this room for some fresh air and the celebrations of the Halloween feast. However, it appeared that Professor Trelawney was not done yet.

  
“Oh my students. I am so proud of you. Your inner eyes are developing so nicely. Some of you have begun to penetrate the mysteries of fate. I hope that all of you shall strive to part the veils and understand the glories that are Fate!” Trelawney’s voice was almost enthusiastic. Draco rolled his eyes so hard that he almost hurt himself, but Trelawney was continuing, so he forced himself to pay attention.

  
“I think that you all have gained sufficient experience to attempt an independent Divination exercise. Tonight, when you are preparing for bed, place a sprig of Rosemary under your pillow along with 6 knuts. The tokens shall guide your evening Somnomancy and for those who have sufficiently awakened your inner eye, grant unto you a glimpse of your future spouse. Prepare a report on this for the next class. Do not fear though, I shall not share your romantic lives with your peers, I shall hold it in the strictest confidence. My inner eye predicts that there shall be many interesting revelations this evening! Now be off, my young devotees!” Professor Trelawney’s thread voice trailed off just as the bell rang.

  
The entire classroom trooped off, eager to be in the fresh air. As usual, the Slytherin contingent of the class coalesced into a group before continuing toward the dungeon. Professor Snape had been very clear that at no time was a Slytherin under 5th year to be alone in the hallways and by now it was habit. Crabbe and Goyle were already loudly discussing which sweets they were going to eat that evening at the feast.

  
Draco on the other hand was still complaining about the last assignment from Divination. “As usual, Trelawney shows no consideration in her assignments. There is barely enough time between her class and the feast to properly prepare myself. After the feast is out, since Anderson always insists on escorting us from the feast to the dorms directly, since that troll episode first year. When are we supposed to find time to go to the greenhouses to get rosemary? If she had told us of this assignment during the last class session, I could have made proper plans.”

  
Pansy made sympathetic noises, in complete agreement with Draco. As they entered the stairwell to descend to the dungeons, Pansy leaned over to Draco and asked a question. “Do you think that either Goyle or Crabbe has six knuts to place under their pillow? Weren’t you saying that they blew all of their pocket money on the first Hogsmeade visit? Why not tell them to get the rosemary in exchange for the knuts? They never prepare for the feasts so they should have enough time.”

  
Draco considered for a moment before calling up to Crabbe and Goyle. “Hey you two! You’ve got a job to do and pay attention. I don’t want you to mangle my herbs!”  
_____________

“In consequence of the disruptions by the criminal Sirius Black on all hallows eve, I understand that there was not an opportunity to complete our Somnomancy exercise. Since that exercise is only possible on All Hallow’s eve, you shall have to await another chance. We shall now continue with our exploration of pyromancy. Please open your books and….” Trelawney’s voice was just as vague and thread as before and the lighting was so bad that Draco did not even bother trying to open his book.

  
The vague outline to his right that he believed was Pansy leaned over and whispered “If her inner eye is so good, then why did she bother giving us that assignment? Shouldn’t she have known that we wouldn’t have a chance to do it?”

  
Draco grumbled in response and lit his candle.

Fourth Year

  
“… remember that to get a clear response through rabdomancy, the stick must be firmly pressed into the subject with sufficient force that the patterns that are imprinted on the subjects skin can be read and interpreted. Don’t be gentle my students, it is all for the sake of the greatest of arts!” Trelawney’s voice seemed to have an inappropriate level of enthusiasm for a subject that appeared to be bruising another person with sticks for the sake of vague interpretations that might not come true.

  
Trelawney had assigned them into pairs for this lesson. At first Draco had been relieved to be assigned with Pansy, but Pansy had flat out refused to be the subject for this lesson, so now Draco was covered with small welts and bruises. Draco had not stopped complaining since the lesson started, but neither Pansy, nor Trelawney seemed to care, so he had now devolved into plans for getting the welts taken care of prior to the feast. There was no way that he was going to go to the Halloween Feast to watch Viktor Krum be selected to participate in Tri-wizarding competition with little bruises on his hands and arms.

  
The bell rang and Draco immediately raced for the door, completely missing the reminder that Trelawney made regarding the Somnomancy experiment. However, it was likely that he would not have been able to complete the task anyway, again lacking the time to gather the necessary Rosemary between the infirmary and the great hall for the Tri-wizarding feast. However, he was far from the only one to not complete the assignment as the entire school was in an uproar over Harry-bloody- Potter being selected for the Tri-wizard competition as a fourth competitor.

Fifth Year

  
“I cannot believe that this is considered appropriate. When my father hears about this, I am sure you shall be fired immediately. How could this possibly by hygienic, much less an accurate means of predicting the future? You are a sick and depraved individual, Professor and I refuse to participate in this nonsense!” Draco was yelling at the top of his lungs. The cries and complaints of the other students in the class were not far behind. No one wanted to participate in this particular exercise. Even the lingering scent of heavy incense from the other classes could not cover the smell of the medium for this week’s divination.

  
“Mr. Malfoy. Urimancy is an accredited means of predicting the fertility of future brides, the likelihood of any undesirable inherited traits, and the purity of the blood line. One would think with your background that this would be of utmost concern for you.” Trelawney’s vague voice had obtained an underlying sharpness in it that Draco had never heard before, but it was definitely not enough to prevent Draco from whirling and exiting the classroom. The rest of the class followed suit immediately, though not all of them followed Draco in complaining to the newest member of the staff, Dolores Umbridge.

  
Dolores Umbridge was not as sympathetic to Draco’s complaints as he had imagined. Apparently urimancy was an accredited ministry technique. However, she did sympathize with Draco’s distaste enough to write him a note excusing him from personally having to attend any further classes on the subject. However, in the uproar, no one heard the reminder for the Somnomancy exercise for this year.

Sixth Year

  
The only improvement in Professor Trelawney no longer teaching all of Divination was that classes with Professor Firenze at least smelled better and were easier to breathe. However, the weird techniques continued to come.

  
“Albus Dumbledore! I must insist that you speak to Professor Firenze about his teaching subjects!” Poppy Pomphrey’s voice was shrill and demanding, not that any of her current students could hear it to appreciate it.

  
“Poppy? What has happened to upset you so?” Headmaster Dumbledore had been even less present this year than usual, but the Halloween Feast was a large enough event that even he had to attend. However, it was very unusual for any professor, much less Madame Pomphrey to interrupt the festivities.

  
“I have an entire class full of Ravenclaws and Slytherins that have been deafened due to that idiot’s teaching methods!” Madame Pomphrey’s face was bright red with aggravation and the altercation had the spellbound attention of the entire great hall.

  
“Teaching methods? Professor Firenze did say that he was going to be teaching Chalcomancy today. I placed some sound cancelling wards to prevent the noise of the gongs from disrupting the other classrooms. What happened?” Professor Dumbledore had now risen from the head table and was striding across the room to where Madame Pomphrey was waiting at the side door.

  
“He informed a classroom of Ravenclaws that the louder the gongs were played, the more accurate the predictions would be. Then he did not restrict them from using sound enhancement charms. We’re lucky that the noise didn’t knock the castle off of its foundations!” Madame Pomphrey’s voice could clearly be heard in the great hall as she and Headmaster Dumbledore hastily left and it was several moments before the festivities resumed, every person in the great hall grateful that it hadn’t been their class.

  
Needless to say, none of the participants in that class, Draco Malfoy included, heard anything for several days, much less a reminder of the Somnomancy experiment.

Seventh Year

“The card “The Empress” from your human concept of Tarot cards will be the subject of our next class. Please ensure that you have read the subject material as this is the final card we will be covering prior to conducting a simple layout for each student. Please remember to bring your personal deck next class as it will have to be attuned to you prior to the reading. Also, if you have not yet successfully completed the Sonomancy assignment from your first year, this shall be your last chance to do so. For those of you who have forgotten, the instructions are to lay a sprig of rosemary picked today and 6 knuts under your pillow prior to falling asleep tonight. The tokens will guide your somnomancy and provide a glimpse of your future spouse.” Professor Firenze’s lessons had become a great deal less esoteric and much more focussed since Professor Snape had become headmaster, a fact that Draco was profoundly grateful for, however he felt about the rest of the situation at hogwarts.

  
Draco had always felt that once the superior teachings of pureblood life became mandatory at hogwarts, that life would be better all around. Yes, it would place Draco at the head of the school where he truly belonged, but once the lesser students were placed in their proper places, they too would be more comfortable and everyone would have a more peaceful and happier life. However, that didn’t seem to be what was happening.

The new professors, the Carrows, seemed much more interested in hurting the students than helping them. Everyone was perpetually afraid, even some of the purebloods, and no matter how Draco looked for the benefits that his father had told him would come of being the focus of the school, all being the head of the school was earning him was more opportunities for frightening encounters with Voldemort when the Dark Lord came to inspect the school and to meet with Professor Snape. No, Draco was far from convinced that things were better, even if that felt like he was betraying his parents and everything that they had taught him.

  
With such troubling thoughts, it was no surprise that Draco had trouble falling asleep that night. When he finally did, his dreams were strange and confusing. He was in the middle of some kind of wilderness area, full of plants and animals that he had never seen before. A strange creature with a horn, that for lack of a better word was… bent?... kept charging at him, forcing Draco to run away in his dreams. Finally, at the very end of his dream, just prior to awakening, he caught a flash of something, pale, with silver eyes and yellow hair.

  
When Draco awoke he was vaguely troubled. The girl in his dreams was vaguely familiar to him, but it wasn’t Pansy, that he was sure of. Draco and Pansy had been betrothed since they were 7 years old. He had definitely had a response from the exercise, but what the dream was predicting was something impossible. Draco was going to marry Pansy, just like their parents had agreed and that was the end of the story. It made no sense for this other woman to be in the dream, unless… perhaps his parents had erred not just in the benefits of the pureblood world, but in their decision for his bride as well.

  
Draco hesitated, lifting his quill from where he had been writing out his impression of the exercise for submission as homework. Then he quickly finished his notes and stored them decisively in his trunk. His grades in Divination were excellent, and missing this one assignment yet again would not have any effect on his end of term grades. He would keep this prediction to himself and see what would happen. Maybe it would help him decide what to do about his parents decisions in other areas.

________________________________________________

It was only the second week of winter break, but Draco had never been more afraid in his home than he was now. He had been pretty much confined to his rooms whenever he could possibly manage it, as Malfoy Manor was completely occupied by high ranking members of the Death Eaters using the facilities as staging areas for attacks and other actions. While they had taken over the ministries, Lord Voldemort preferred to keep the more vicious of his activities behind the protection and privacy of the ancient Malfoy Manor’s wards. Draco had already had two long sleepless nights listening to the screams of an older man echo up from the dungeons and he had witnessed his Aunt Bellatrix coming out of the stairwell to the area with a crazed, lustful look in her eyes after the screaming had stopped. Draco had a lot of difficulty meeting her eyes after that, which had earned him several painful curses for his lack of attention during one of his private lessons with her.

  
However, tonight… tonight Draco was sleepless for a different reason. He had kept an eye out at school for the woman he had seen during his vision on Halloween, but had never caught up with the other student. Every time he saw flashes of hair the color he sought, he had had hurried to catch full sight of the student to confirm, but had never managed to keep up. They were always separated by a crowd of students, teachers, or some other impediment. So it had been truly horrifying that the first time he had seen those silver eyes since his vision was when he had seen them behind the bars in the cell in his father’s dungeon.

  
Aunt Bellatrix had brought him downstairs to practice the use of the cruciatus curse on a prisoner that had been captured from the Hogwarts train. Draco had known he was going to curse a fellow student, which was bad enough, but to see those silver eyes… to see the fear that was suddenly in them… Draco had not been able to even try. Bellatrix had been furious, but even experiencing the curse himself had not been enough to convince Draco to curse her. Bellatrix had then stormed off, likely to complain about Draco to Narcissa. Draco had turned shakily to leave, only to stop when a quiet voice said “thank you.”

  
“You’re welcome,” he’d whispered back.

__________________________

It was a month after the Battle of Hogwarts, and the Malfoy’s trials before the Wizengamut had concluded the day before. They had received punishments. Most of the famed Malfoy wealth had been stripped from them to use in funding recovery from the war. Lucius Malfoy was in Azkaban again for 5 years, to be followed by ten years of community service and probation. Narcissa too had a sentence of community service and Draco was highly encouraged to find a way to be helpful to the recovery while not being in the public eye as feelings were still high regarding the Malfoy family, even if they had been found less culpable than others in the death eater camp due to their assistance during the final battle.

Draco had every intent of complying, but first he had a mission to complete. The Lovegood’s ancestral home had exploded during the war due to the side effects of an erumpet horn going off during a Snatchers visit. However, the Luna’s actions during the final battle had earned the small family a place in Hogwarts during the reconstruction. Draco walked up from Hogsmeade toward the side gate, nervously fingering the report that he had never turned in from Divination. He was prepared to explain himself to Hagrid, who had remained at Hogwarts as the gameskeeper, despite several hard injuries he had received during the final battle. However, waiting for him at the gate was the very person he was looking for.

  
“Hullo Draco.” Luna’s voice was low, but her eyes were showing pleasure, not fear, so Draco had the courage to respond.

  
“Hello Luna. I’ve come to speak to you if I may.” Draco’s voice was surprisingly calm, despite the nerves that were making his hands shake slightly.  
“You’ve come to speak to me about your rosemary dreams. I had them too, in third year. Why didn’t you come to speak to me back then?” Luna’s voice was dreamy, as she pulled out what appeared to be an exact match to the papers in Draco’s hand.

  
Draco flushed. “I didn’t have them until this year. Every year something would happen and I wouldn’t do the exercise.”

Luna smiled and extended her hand. “Then we have a lot of dreaming to make up for. Would you like to tell me about your dreams for the future?”

Draco took her hand. “Yes, I’d like that.”


End file.
